Limerick

Limerick (/ˈlɪmᵊrɪk/;Irish: Luimneach [ˈl̪imʲɨnʲəx]) is a city in county Limerick, Ireland. It is located in the Mid-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. Limerick City and County Council is the local authority for the city. The city lies on the River Shannon, with the historic core of the city located on King's Island, which is bounded by the Shannon and the Abbey River. Limerick is also located at the head of the Shannon Estuary where the river widens before it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Limerick is the third most populous city in the state, and the fourth most populous city on the island of Ireland.

Geography and political subdivisions

There are 102,161 people living in the Limerick City Metropolitan District. On 1 June 2014 following the merger of Limerick City and County Council a new Metropolitan District of Limerick was formed within the united council which extended the city area. The Metropolitan District includes the city urban area and extends outwards towards Patrickswell in the west and Castleconnell in the east. The City Metropolitan Area however excludes city suburbs located within County Clare. When included this increases the overall city and metropolitan area by a further 5,000 with a combined total population of 107,161. Limerick is one of the constituent cities of the Cork–Limerick–Galway corridor which has a population of 1 million people. It is located at a strategic position on the River Shannon with four main crossing points near the city centre. To the south of the city is the Golden Vale, an area of rich pastureland. Historically, much of the city's industry was based on this rich agricultural hinterland and it is particularly noted for Limerick Ham.

Limerick City (UK Parliament constituency)

Limerick City was a United Kingdom Parliament constituency, in Ireland. It returned one MP 1801–1832, two MPs 1832–1885 and one thereafter. It was an original constituency represented in Parliament when the Union of Great Britain and Ireland took effect on 1 January 1801. It ceased to be represented in the United Kingdom Parliament in 1922.

Boundaries

This was a borough constituency, comprising the parliamentary borough of Limerick in County Limerick. It was south of Clare East but was otherwise surrounded by Limerick East.

Members of Parliament

One member 1801–1832

Two members 1832–1885

Notes:-

Limerick City (Dáil Éireann constituency)

Limerick City is a parliamentary constituency in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies (Teachtaí Dála, commonly known as TDs). The method of election is the single transferable vote form of proportional representation (PR-STV).

History and boundaries

The Constituency Commission proposed in 2007 that at the next general election a new constituency called Limerick City be created.

It was established by the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2009 when it replaced the former constituency of Limerick East. Most of the rural parts of the Limerick East constituency have been transferred to the Limerick constituency. It was first used at the 2011 general election.

The constituency comprises Limerick City and suburbs, part of County Limerick and a small part of County Clare.

The Electoral (Amendment) (Dáil Constituencies) Act 2013 defines the constituency as:

TDs

Note: The columns in this table are used only for presentational purposes, and no significance should be attached to the order of columns. For details of the order in which seats were won at each election, see the detailed results of that election.

Limerick (poetry)

A limerick is a form of poetry, especially one in five-line, predominantly anapesticmeter with a strict rhyme scheme (AABBA), which is sometimes obscene with humorous intent. The third and fourth lines are usually shorter than the other three.

The form appeared in England in the early years of the 18th century. It was popularized by Edward Lear in the 19th century, although he did not use the term.

The following limerick is of unknown origin:

The limerick packs laughs anatomical
Into space that is quite economical.
But the good ones I've seen
So seldom are clean
And the clean ones so seldom are comical.

Gershon Legman, who compiled the largest and most scholarly anthology, held that the true limerick as a folk form is always obscene, and cites similar opinions by Arnold Bennett and George Bernard Shaw, describing the clean limerick as a "periodic fad and object of magazine contests, rarely rising above mediocrity". From a folkloric point of view, the form is essentially transgressive; violation of taboo is part of its function.

Limerick (song)

The "Limerick" is a traditional humorous drinking song with many obscene verses. The tune usually used for sung limericks is traditionally "Cielito Lindo," with the words arranged in the form of a limerick.

Recorded versions

Printed versions

The earliest printed date for limericks being sung is 1928 in the book A Collection of Sea Songs and Ditties from the Stores of Tom E. Jones. Since many of the verses used for this song are bawdy the song tended to get issued in rare, underground mimeographed songbooks. Some of these are (in chronological order):

Variant choruses

There are several different choruses for this song. One of the most popular in the USA is sung to the tune of "Cielito Lindo" and usually goes like this:

Limerick (Dáil Éireann constituency)

Limerick was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas, from 1923 to 1948 and 2011 to 2016. The method of election was the single transferable vote form of proportional representation (PR-STV).

History and boundaries

1923–1948

The constituency was first created as a 7 seater under the Electoral Act 1923, for the 1923 general election to Dáil Éireann, whose members formed the 4th Dáil. It succeeded the constituencies of Limerick City–Limerick East and Kerry–Limerick West which were used to elect members to the 2nd Dáil and to the 3rd Dáil.

It covered Limerick city and all of County Limerick. It was abolished under the Electoral (Amendment) Act 1947, when it was replaced by the two new constituencies of Limerick East and Limerick West.

2011–2016

The Constituency Commission proposed in 2007 that at the next general election a new constituency called Limerick be created.

It was established by the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2009 when it partially replaced the former constituencies of Limerick East and Limerick West. Most of the rural parts of the Limerick East constituency were transferred to the Limerick constituency and the western parts of the Limerick West constituency were transferred to the Kerry North–West Limerick constituency. It was first only at the 2011 general election, electing 3 TDs.